Hieroglyphs in an Afternoon

Rameshbabu Vaishali – Ekaterina Aleksandrovna Lagno

4th Online Women’s Speed Chess Championship Main Event; Semifinal match game 4; time control: 5 minutes plus 1 second per move; chess.com, August 17, 2022

Grünfeld Defence D85

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Qa4+ Nd7 8. Nf3 0-0 9. Qa3 c5 10. Be2 b6 11. h4

11. ... cxd4!? Vaishali’s brother won in impressive positional style against Grandelius at this year’s Tata Steel Tournament after 11. ... e5 12. d5 Nf6 13. Bg5 Qe8 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15. h5 Bg4 16. Nd2 Bd7 17. c4 Qe7 18. Qc3 Bg7 19. Qe3 f5 20. hxg6 hxg6 21. a4 Bf6 22. a5 Bg5 23. Qh3 Qg7 24. Qc3 Qf6 25. Bd3 Qe7 26. Nf3 Bf6 27. Qc2 Rac8 28. axb6 axb6 29. 0-0 f4 30. Ra7 Qd6 31. Be2 Bd8 32. Nh2 Bc7 33. Rfa1 Kg7 34. Bg4 Bxg4 35. Nxg4 Rf7 36. f3 Rh8 37. Qb2 Rh5 38. Rb7 Qd8 39. Raa7 Kg8 40. Kf2 Rh1 41. Ra1 Rh4 42. Rxc7 Rxc7 43. Qxe5 Rf7 44. Qe6 Rxg4 45. Qxg4 Kg7 46. Qe6 Qh4+ 47. Ke2 Qg5 48. Kf1 Qh4 49. Kg1 Qf6 50. Qxf6+ Kxf6 51. Kf2 Ke5 52. Ke2 Kd4 53. Rd1+ Ke5 54. Ra1 Kd4 55. Rd1+ Ke5 56. Kd3 Ra7 57. Kc3 g5 58. Kb3 g4 59. d6 gxf3 60. gxf3 Ke6 61. d7 Rxd7 62. Rxd7 Kxd7 63. Ka4 Kc6 64. e5 1 : 0 Praggnanandhaa – Grandelius, 84th Tata Steel Chess Tournament, Wijk aan Zee 2022. No doubt Lagno must have studied it carefully. 12. cxd4 e5. Or maybe not so carefully. 12. ... Nc5! 13. e5 Ne6 14. Be3 Bb7 seems perfectly satisfactory for Black. 13. d5. Too simplistic. She should have followed in his brother’s footsteps: 13. Bg5! Qe8 14. d5 with clear advantage for White. The text allows Black to counterattack. 13. ... Nc5 14. Nd2 f5 15. h5 fxe4 16. hxg6 hxg6 17. Qg3 Bf5. White’s Kingside attack is not so dangerous as she supposed. Here 17. ... Nd3+! 18. Bxd3 exd3 19. Qxg6 Bf5 was also very strong and probably much stronger, but Lagno prefers to play it safe.

18. Bb2? White had to play 18. Ba3! Nd3+! 19. Bxd3 exd3 20. Bxf8 Kxf8 with a complex game, in which Black’s two Bishops provide good value for the Exchange. 18. ... Qf6? And here much better was 18. ... Nd3+! 19. Bxd3 exd3 followed by the capture of the d5-Pawn. 19. Nc4 Rae8 20. 0-0 b5 21. Ba3 Rc8 (21. ... Bh6 22. Nxe5 Qxe5 23. Qxe5 Rxe5 24. Bxc5 Rc8 25. Bxa7 Rxd5=) 22. Ne3. Now there follows a series of wild moves (probably not the best ones), which end up in chaos again. 22. ... Rfd8 (⌓ 22. ... Bd7! 23. Rac1 Nd3!∞) 23. Bxb5 Nd3 24. d6 Nf4 25. Rfd1 Be6 26. Rab1 Bxa2 27. Rb2 Be6 28. d7 Rb8. With the obvious threat of ... Rb8xb5. 29. Kh1? (29. Rdd2 Bf8∞) 29. ... Kf7 30. Ng4? This should lose, but 30. Rdd2 is not so sound anymore by reason of 30. ... Rh8+ 31. Kg1 Rh5 followed by the doubling of the Rooks on the h-file. 30. ... Qg5 31. Nh2 Qh5 32. Rf1 Rh8 (32. ... Rxb5! 33. Rxb5 Ne2−+) 33. Bd6! Rbd8? (33. ... Rbg8−+) 34. Bc7 Bf6

35. f3? And here White throws away her only saving chance: 35. Bxd8 Bxd8 36. Rc2! (intending Rc2-c8) 36. ... Bh4 37. Rc7 Rd8 38. Qa3 Be7 39. Qg3 Bh4 with a likely draw by repetition. 35. ... e3 0 : 1.